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Wild beats Vancouver to clinch playoff spot for 5th time in 6 seasons

By
Published  April 2, 2026 10:16pm CDT
Minnesota Wild
FOX 9
Minnesota Wild beats Vancouver to clinch spot in Stanley Cup Playoffs

Minnesota Wild beats Vancouver to clinch spot in Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson and forward Matt Boldy spoke from the locker room after the game. Boldy had two goals on the night.

The Brief

    • The Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
    • The Wild earned its 12th playoff berth in 14 seasons, and fifth in the last six years.
    • The Wild has not won a playoff series since the 2014-15 season.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - For the fifth time in the last six seasons, the Minnesota Wild is headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Wild clinches playoff spot

What we know:

The Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena. The win gives them 96 points on the season, and clinched a spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.

The Wild is headed to the Stanley Cup for the 15th time in franchise history, and 12th time in the past 14 seasons.

Wild beats Vancouver 5-2

The backstory:

On a night where Quinn Hughes faced the Canucks after the Wild acquired him from Vancouver earlier this season, the Wild’s depth showed in a 5-2 win in St. Paul.

Matt Boldy scored twice for the Wild, and his second tally gave him 40 goals on the regular season. Kirill Kaprizov’s 40th goal of the season in the second period gave the Wild a 3-2 lead, and Ryan Hartman scored a pair of third period goals to cement the Wild’s victory.

Hartman scored at the 6:03 mark of the third period to give the Wild a 4-2 lead. He added an empty-net goal with 1:08 left in regulation.

Wild has 7 games left

What's next:

The Wild now has seven regular season games left before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

What we don't know:

Their first round playoff opponent will likely be the Dallas Stars, who are currently six points ahead of the Wild in the Western Conference. Their opponent won't become official until the end of the regular season.

Regardless of the opponent, the Wild will be seeking its first playoff series win since the 2014-15 season.

Minnesota WildSports